Mehno: Bottom-feeding works for Bucs

Saturday

PITTSBURGH — Everybody loves a bargain, which is why there are dollar stores and waiver wires.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have become specialists in shopping baseball’s closeout bins, a practice which has paid off nicely this month with outfielder Garrett Jones.

He was discarded by the Minnesota Twins after four seasons at Class AAA, and the Pirates were ready pounce when he hit the market as a minor league free agent.

They were similarly alert to grab outfielder Delwyn Young from the Los Angeles Dodgers in April, and catcher Jason Jaramillo from the Philadelphia Phillies last December.

All three moves were low cost, low risk and have produced a nice reward for the Pirates.

“We spend a ton of time and energy trying incrementally to get better each step of the way,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “At the major-league level, we’re constantly checking who might be available, who might be coming off a roster and how he might fit for us.”

Jones hit eight home runs in his first 16 games with the Pirates. Young has been the team’s best pinch hitter and could get a shot to replace Freddy Sanchez at second base. Jaramillo did well filling in while Ryan Doumit missed more than two months with a broken wrist.

Young was squeezed off the Dodgers roster by more experienced players (including ex-Pirate Doug Mientkiewicz), and the Phillies had written off Jaramillo.

The Pirates owe the Dodgers cash or a player to be named for Young, and they shipped low-intensity catcher Ronny Paulino to the Phillies for Jaramillo.

“Talent is talent, and sometimes those bottom of the roster guys turn into more than that,” Huntington said. “They turn into regulars. If nothing else, we’re trying to make sure we give John Russell options on the bench and give him pieces he can use to help a win a game on a given night.”

The Pirates don’t have an exclusive on the philosophy. Everybody brings a dozen or so non-roster players to camp, trying to find one or two who might fit.

The method has worked in the past.

Rocky Nelson had been back in the minor leagues for two years when the Pirates rescued him via the Rule 5 draft in 1959. He hit .300 in a part-time role for the 1960 World Series champions.

Ramon Hernandez was an important part of the bullpen from 1971-76 after the Pirates found him in the Mexican League.

Mike Easler, who had been with three other organizations, shook the label of career minor leaguer and hit .302 over six seasons for the Pirates.

Bob Walk was signed after Atlanta released him and won 82 games for the Pirates.

As the Pirates try to build a contender, they’re offering opportunities. Some, like Jones, take advantage.

“It happens to a lot of guys,” Jones said. “I’ve seen it happen. That’s all you can ask for is you keep playing and you hope some team sees you and likes you.”

Only two people know what may have happened between Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his accuser in a Lake Tahoe hotel last summer.

Roethlisberger and his accuser apparently have completely different stories to tell.

The civil suit filed against Roethlisberger alleging sexual assault is in the hands of the lawyers and the courts.

There are a lot of strong opinions, but only the principles know what happened.

If nothing else, this case should be instructive for every high-profile athlete: Be extra careful. Then take that caution to the 10th power. And if there’s still a trace of doubt, walk away quickly.

Roethlisberger’s problem isn’t just his personal issue. It matters to his employer and his teammates, too.

It remains to be seen if Roethlisberger is a victim of his own bad judgment or just the target of a possible shakedown for cash.

Being rich and famous brings great perks, but that status carries potentially great peril, too. Like a lot of things in life, fame and wealth come with a trade-off.

Jerome Bettis was set up for an extortion plot a few years ago. It didn’t work, but Bettis had the uncomfortable experience of having his name attached to an unsavory accusation for several months.

A famous name will bring special privileges; it can also bring trouble.

Years ago, Steelers Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert was in a downtown Pittsburgh bar when he got into a beef with a stranger.

It was discovered later that his adversary was connected to organized crime, and was hatching a vengeful plot to injure Lambert severely enough to jeopardize his football career.

The guy had planned to bait Lambert into another confrontation, then have a partner ambush Lambert by cutting the backs of his knees with a knife.

The NFL, like all pro leagues, offers training courses for rookies that include skits outlining situations that may develop.

The players snicker at the stereotypical portrayals of sycophants who have the can’t-miss investment deals and the women who throw themselves at the stars.

The idea of the program is to show the players how easily they can fall into a bad situation and that choices come with consequences.

A momentary lapse can undermine a career.

Sometimes players remember their playbooks better than they remember those classes.

Now the Steelers are ready to go to work on a new season with a cloud of suspicion over their quarterback.

Roethlisberger is undoubtedly embarrassed. The Steelers are, too.

To think that just a few months ago, the team’s biggest issue was linebacker James Harrison’s decision to skip the White House trip.

Those were the days.

Times sports correspondent John Mehno can be reached online at johnmehno@lycos.com.

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